Bound By The System
by FandomSpawn
Summary: "I have to kill the glitches and viruses of the system. But I wouldn't dare hurt my brothers." Error, Geno and Fresh belong to The Crayon Queen. Ink belongs to Comyet. Sans belongs to Toby Fox.
1. Meet Error

Error lay on the floor, or what he assumed was the floor, of the anti-void, staring into the white nothingness. He didn't know how he got here, or who he was in general. All he knew was that his name was Error and that his job was to destroy something called an "AU". He had no idea what those were, but it seemed to be implanted into his mind that they needed to be erased. "T-there's no-o-o-thing to d-do here." He didn't like the sound of his voice and the way his body glitched every now and then. He let out a sigh as he got up. Closing his eyes, he racked his brain for a way to get out of wherever he was. Upon opening his eyes, he saw a rip in the space in front of him. He just stared at it for a moment before walking through.

The sensation of being flung around in circles came and went quickly. As he felt the ground underneath him, he had to fall onto his knees to keep from throwing up. 'That's going to take some getting used to.' He was glad his thoughts didn't glitch like the rest of him. 'Where am I anyway?' He looked around, trying to see if anyone else was there. But no one appeared. He started walking until he reached what he assumed was the top of a hill. He sat down and looked up at the stars. He starts to fiddle with his strings, finding out he can summon them at will. After a few hours, he starts to feel drowsy, so he teleports back to the anti-void.

It was hard to sleep in the glow of the infinite white around him, but Error was far too tired to care about it, laying on his side, using his hands as a pillow. He wasn't sure about what to do with the whole "destroying AU's" thing, but he hoped some voice would appear out of nowhere and tell him what to do and how to do it. But something inside him told him that wouldn't be happening in the near future.


	2. Screaming Back

Error didn't really do much besides sleep. And sleep. And more sleeping. Sometimes he would cry. That was followed by lots of screaming. Both for help and for someone to appear. He usually disappeared to the starry hill that he soon found out was the Outertale AU. He discovered the spaced-out version of himself and decided to try and recreate him into something he could talk to. Like a puppet. Being the lazy person he is, he decided to make a puppet later. He would then continue sleeping. And screaming. He doesn't know how time works in the anti-void, so he never knew when days, weeks, months or even years passed by. He just kept sleeping and screaming. Then, **the screams started screaming back**.

It took him some time to figure out how to open portals, but when he did, he would try to visit an AU. He had only gone to a few, but that was enough to make him feel even lonelier. In every AU, the different versions of him had friends and a brother that loved him. Even in Underfell, although Error wouldn't necessarily call it "love". He tried to recall memories of him and his brother, but it seemed like he never had one to begin with. That's when his endless crying began.

He decided to visit Outertale again. When he got to the top of the hill, he laid down, thinking. 'Why don't I have a brother?' He can feel the sting of tears nipping at his sockets.'Why do the other Sanses have somebody when I don't?' He can feeling the anger rising in his chest. 'Why do they even exist? They're just glitches in the multiverse that need to be erased!' Error symbols have started to pop up all around him. Error grits his teeth. **"I'LL KILL THEM IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"**


	3. An Inky Visit

A/N: Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, school's been weighing me down and I have no free time. Thanks for being patient with me, though!

The days went by, boring as ever. Error was doing his usual rounds of the AUs. He's still taking it slow, killing a Temmie or two. He often visited the hill in Outertale to stare at the collecting dust on his hands. Then he would return to the anti-void where his screams have yet to cease. His nights were restless. He would always have thoughts about taking a Sans hostage with him every once and a while, but decided his puppets will have to do for now. He already has Underfell, Undertale and Outertale puppets anyways. He is currently starting a new puppet, deaf to the constant screaming, when he hears someone else's voice.

"HELLO?" Error looks around, but sees nothing. "IS ANYONE HERE?" Error spuints and sees something brown in the distance. He teleports to the exact spot in front of the newcomer. "HELLO—OH! HI! IS THERE ANY WAY YOU CAN MAKE THE SCREAMING STOP?" Error looks around as if trying to find a solution, and shakes his head. The stranger then holds out his hand, a simple "come with me" gesture. Error hesitantly takes his hand, warm and sticky, as he opens a portal with a big paintbrush.

* * *

"WhErE aRe We?" Error asks as he steadies himself. He looks around and sees thousands upon thousands of drawings, each contain a different version of the same person. "I don't know where we are exactly, but this is where I go to check up on the AUs. I am their protector, after all." The stranger puts a hand on his chest in a proud way, earning a chuckle from Error. "YeAh. WhAtEvEr YoU sAy." The stranger turns around and holds out his hand again. "I haven't introduced myself yet! I'm Ink! I'm the guardian and creator of all AUs." Error shakes his hand and introduces himself. "NiCe To MeEt Ya. I'm ErRoR. DEsTrOyEr of AUs." Ink's features seem to harden at the word "destroyer". The two share a moment of silence before speaking again. "You're not actually going to destroy any of my creations, are you?" Error thinks about the question for a bit before answering. "WeLl, I dOn'T rEaLlY wAnT tO, bUt I hAvE nO sAy In WhAt I dO." Ink thinks about his answer. "So, you can't really do anything about it, you just know you have to?" Error nods. "Well, how about I show you how not to hurt my art?" Error perks up, interested in the idea. "OkAy ThEn. WhErE dO wE sTaRt?" Ink taps his chin in thought. "We'll start tomorrow. In the Reapertale universe." Error thinks about this. 'As long as I don't see a Papyrus, I'll be fine.' He looks back at Ink. "DeAl."


	4. Haphephobia

The next day, Error was woken up early by his artist-like version. "Come on, the sooner we go, the more you'll learn to control yourself." He slowly got up, and slipped his jacket back on. "OkAy, ReAdY."

Once they reached their destination, Ink pulled Error with him into the many bushes. "WhAt-" Ink covered Error's mouth with his hand and put a finger to his own. "We aren't supposed to be seen in any of the AUs. It could mess up the current timeline and corrupt the future ones." Error shoved Ink's hand off and tried his best to whisper. "Where are we anyways?" He asks, surprised that his voice didn't glitch like the rest of him. "We're in Reapertale. Do you see anything that you would most likely kill right about now?" Error looks around and spots a few monsters and points at them. Ink takes out a note pad and pencil. He scribbles something down and teleports the both of them into a different area. "Anything else you see?" He whispers. Error looks around and spots two black figures. They seemed to be talking with each other about something. Error's eye sockets are then surrounded by error signs, blocking his vision. Without thinking, his blue strings shot out and grabbed both of the unsuspecting victims. Ink tries to shake Error out of his trance. "Error! Snap out of it! What's gotten into you?!" No response.

"SANS, I'M SCARED!" The voice of Reapertale Papyrus is heard through all the commotion. The Reapertale version of Sans tries to struggle out of Error's grasp, failing miserably. He then gets an idea. Using his magic, he picks up his scythe that he dropped and cuts the strings, breaking him free. Error's strings seem to act on their own accord, chasing Reapertale Sans as he dips and dodges. Acting quickly, Reapertale Sans gets as close as he can to Error and touches him. Error flinches and feels himself fading. All he heard was his name before he blacked out.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, he was in the anti-void again, Ink anxiously pacing back and forth. The memory of past events start to resurface and Error is engulfed in error signs again. Ink snaps out of his worried daze and runs over to him. "Oh my gosh! I thought you died or something. Is everything okay?" He tries to place his hand on the other's shoulder, only to have the other back away. "Error?" Error quickly gets up and starts to run. Ink watches him, confused and concerned. Error didn't return that night.


	5. Friends By Choice, Rivals By Force

Error had kept running. When he got tired, he escaped to the Outertale hill. He slept there for the night. Ink went looking for him the next day, finding him sprawled out on the grass, chest rising and falling despite having any lungs. "Wake up, Error." Ink whispers softly. When he doesn't show any signs of waking up, Ink decides to tap him. He extends a finger and slowly moves it towards Error's nose. That's when his body is encased in error signs. Ink jumps back, afraid of hurting his friend. Error jolts up into a sitting position. As soon as the error signs are gone, he glares at Ink. "WhAt WaS tHaT fOr?!" He looks at Ink expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Are you okay, Error?" Error folds his arms across his rib cage, obviously not happy with the question asked back. "WhY dId YoU tAkE mE tO a PlAcE wHeRe I cOuLd DiE?!" He yells angrily. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know it could happen. It just did." Error grits his teeth and stomps up to Ink. They are now practically nose-to-nose. "I dIdN't WaNt To Do ThIs, BuT yOu'Re BeGgInG fOr It." With that, Error steps back and gets into some sort of stance. He summons his strings and aims them at Ink's soul. Ink expertly dodges them, pulling out his big paintbrush and swiping it in the air, black ink disintegrating the onslaught of blue strings.

* * *

This went on for quite a while. Sometimes they would use their magic as weapons, other times they would use their bare fists. They entered and exited AUs through portals at lightning speed. The fight had ended in the anti-void, strings hanging from above, a rainbow of colors painting the floor. Ink and Error had both run out of magic energy. They collapsed to their knees, panting. Ink was the first to get up. "Fine then. I didn't want it to come to this, but...you asked for it." He then opens up a portal and slips through, leaving Error alone in the now messed-up place he called home. Out of anger, he screamed and this time, it echoed back. He laid down on his sweater, making sure none of the paint got on him, before drifting off to sleep.


	6. AftTle

The nightmares were endless. One after another, they never seemed to stop. Ones where he was in an infinite death loop, ones where he lost to his own strings and the worst of all: dating Ink. "AaAaAaAaHhhH!" Error sat upright, sweating. Why had he been dreaming about Ink? "ThAt RaInBoW jErK cAn EaT cRaP fOr AlL I cArE." He got up, put on his stained sweater and teleported to a part of the anti-void he recently discovered.

It had screens of all the AUs, each one monitoring every move of its inhabitants. Some of them Error thought were useless like the Five Nights Underground AU. The majority of the AUs were pretty average in Error's opinion. But his personal favorite is the Undernovela AU. "AlRiGhT." He gets comfortable in the black leather swivel chair provided and focuses on the screen labeled, "NOVA". Undernovela was currently in a Genocide run, which made it a whole lot more exciting. Error paid close attention to the attacks and dodges until Frisk slashes Sins across the chest where he later "dies in Spanish". Despite not understanding what was being said, Error wipes away a tear and says, "SiNs dIdn'T hAvE tO dIe LiKe ThAt." After getting over his novela high, he sighs, stretches and looks at the other screens to find some glitch walking around its AU. Spotting a screen that had the main menu on it, Error found that it was labeled, "AftTle" and by pure chance, a glitchy, white version of Sans was sitting on the patch of grass Flowey would usually be seen occupying. "TiMe To KiLl A gLiTcH."

* * *

Geno had been waiting for the Error would come for him. If Reaper wouldn't kill him, surely Error would. It was his job after all. "Maybe those should be my last words." He had been thinking about what to say if he were to ever come face-to-face with his destiny. If Error was coming to eradicate him, his last words were to be, "I never knew you as a brother, but thank you." The space in front of him started to glitch out and soon, Error stepped out. "I've been waiting for you, Error. Please, end my life." Error gave him a suspicious look. "YoU'rE tHaT wIlLiNg?" Geno nodded. Error narrowed his eyes. "I'm GoNnA lEt YoU lIvE...fOr NoW." Geno frowned. "But, Error...you have to." Error looks at Geno and points at him accusingly. "WhO sAiD i HaD tO? aNd HoW dO yOu KnOw My NaMe?" Geno keeps an expressionless face as he explains.

"You and I were made by the same person. Who that is, we're not supposed to know. I'm sure you've met Ink before." Error snorted at this. "I'm assuming you have. Anyway, he came to warn me about you. He told me that you were going to come by my AU at some point and erase me forever. He made it sound like a bad thing, when, frankly, I see no problem in it. I mean, I'm already half-dead so, who better to put me out of my misery than you?" Error took a moment to register everything that the glitch had said and soon settled on the words, "So We'Re BaSiCaLlY bRoThErS?" Geno nods. Now, Error wasn't some kind of moral compass, but something told him that he couldn't harm the glitch. He had already opened a portal, ready to return back to the anti-void, when he asked, "HeY, wHaT's YoUr NaMe AnYwAy?" Geno looks at him for any reason as to why Error would ask for his name. "My name is Sans just like every other version of the Original. But if you must call me something, call me Geno." Error gives him a confused look that he quickly replies with, "As in Genocide." With that Error leaves. As soon as he is out of sight, Geno falls to his knees, sobbing into his already glitching hands.


	7. What Are You?

Error hadn't been busy for the past couple…however long it was since I updated this story. All he did in the meantime was watch over the AUs and do his job of killing the glitches. He's getting better moving up from Temmies to actual NPCs.

"ThErE's NoThInG tO dO hErE!" Error mused. After a while, watching the AUs gets tiring and boring. Glancing at the various screens, Error soon finds one labeled "UndFrsh". Getting curious, he teleports to the strangely colorful AU, not knowing of the monstrosity they call a Sans waiting for him there.

"I aLrEaDy ReGrEt ThIs." Error exclaims, rubbing his skull. The place he was in had a psychedelic Papyrus and Sans who seemed to be fully clothed in 80s trash.

"What's up my radical dude!" Speak of the devil.

"CaN yOu NoT?" Error complains.

"Woah! Have we met before? 'Cause you look really familiar." 80s trash rubs his chin in thought.

Error takes a wild guess. "We MiGhT bE bRoThErS, iF tHaT's WhAt YoU mEaN bY fAmIlIaR."

The thrown-up rainbow lights up. "Oh yeah! That's why I know you! What's good up in your place, broseph?"

Error raises a brow bone. "If YoU tHiNk I'lL lEt YoU cOmE oVeR tO mY pLaCe, YoU cAn fOrGeT iT." He finishes his statement by crossing his arms.

"I wasn't talking about your crib." The virus says before lunging at Error.

"HeY! wHaT-!" Error felt his limbs go heavy and his head droop forward before being picked up again by some unseen force.

"Thanks for the new body, my homie. Now, **Let's Have Some Fun!** "


	8. Hangin' With The Bro

Fresh tested out his new body, flexing his fingers and arms. His vision was glitchy but that was to be expected. It would take some time to get used to, at least he could still see in front of him. Then, he tested out his new powers. The strings that were usually blue were now a neon purple and when he opened a portal, it would flash different colors.

"Rad..." He whispers to himself. Opening up a portal, he jumps in and ends up in the Aftertale universe. He walked towards his Aftertale self only to stop and find a place to hide. He saw the original Sans talking to Geno. "That Inky dude told me to stay out of unfresh business like this..."

But mischief got the better of him. Giggling quietly to himself, he slowly wrapped the purple strings around Geno's ankles and tugged. Geno fell flat on his butt, original Sans trying to contain his laughter as he helped Geno up.

Fresh opened a portal that would take him to the anti-void after the little prank he pulled back in Aftertale. Laying down on the floor, he sighs in content. He could get used to this body.

"FRESH! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT MESSING WITH THE CURRENT TIMELINES?!" A raging Ink screams, startling Fresh from his relaxation.

Getting up and sighing, Fresh answers almost bored, "To not do it." Ink nods, letting out a small huff.

"What did I tell you about possessing people's bodies?" He asks Fresh, impatiently tapping his foot.

Fresh sighs again and rolls his eyes (?) while answering, "To not do it either."

"Good. Now release Error's body this instant!"

Releasing himself from Error, he cracks a few bones before talking with Ink again. "Why do you care about this version of Sans anyways?"

"Because he is your brother and as far as I know, brothers don't possess one another. Now, I better not catch you doing this again young man!" Ink warns Fresh in a motherly way.

"Yeah, you got it 'Mom'." Fresh says mockingly. With that, Ink leaves. Fresh gazes down at the crumpled body of Error, then stares at the infinite white that his "broseph" calls home.

"My bro really needs to get out more."


End file.
